Power-transmitting device for windmills.



No. 680,799. I v Patented Aug. 20, MIDI.

A. B. WORSE.

' POWER TRANSMITTING DEVICE FOR WINDMILLS.

(Application filed Nov. 10, 1900.)

2 Sheets-Sheet (No Model.)

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Nu. 680,799. Patented Aug. 20, IQOI. A. B. MURSE.

POWER TRANSMITTING DEVBCE FOR WINDMILLS.

(Application filed Nov. 10, 1900.) (No Model.) 2 Sheets-8heet 2,

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ANCIL l3. MORSE, OF BARABOO, XVISCONSIN.

POWER TfRANSMlTTlNG DEVICE FOR WlNDiViILLS.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 680,799, dated August 20, 1901. Application filed November 10, 1900: Serial N0- 36,081. (No model.)

To aZZ whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, ANCIL B. MORSE, a citizen of the United States, residing at Baraboo, in the county of Sank and State of Wisconsin, haveinvented a newand useful Power-Transmitting Device for Windmills, of which the following is a specification.

The invention relates to a power-transmitting device for windmills.

One object of the present invention is to improve the construction of windmills, more especially the construction for transmitting motion from the windmill-shaft to the machincry or device to be operated, and to provide a simple and comparatively inexpensive construction which will permit the windmill to rotate freely to face the wind squarely at all times without liability of being turned away from the wind by the resistance of the machinery being operated.

Another object of the invention is to provide a construction which while preventing side draft will be efficient in light winds.

The invention consists in the construction and novel combination and arrangement of parts hereinafter fully described, illustrated in the accompanying drawings, and pointed out in the claims hereto appended.

In the drawings, Figure 1 is a perspective view of a portion of a windmill provided with a power-transmitting device constructed"in accordance with this invention. Fig. 2 is a vertical sectional view of the same. Fig. 3 is a similar view taken at right angles to Fig. 2. Figs. 4 and 5 are detail perspective views of the short and long tubular connecting-rods. Fig. 6 is a detail perspective view of one of the swiveled cross-heads. Fig. 7 is a detail perspective view of a portion of the turn-table, illustrating the manner of mounting the antifriction-rollers.

Like numerals of reference designate corresponding parts in all the figures of the drawlugs.

1 designates a windmill-tower designed to be constructed of any suitable material and provided at its top with a rectangular cappiece 2, having a central circular opening and provided thereat with a depending annular flange 3, forming a bearing and located within the upper ends of the corner-posts of the tower for supporting the upper portion of a rotary frame 4, which carries a horizontal wind-wheel shaft 5. The rotary frame 4:, which is provided with suitable bearings for the wind-wheel shaft 5, is composed of a pair of uprights 6, a lower turn-table 7, and an upper flanged casting 8, bolted firmly to the uprights 6 and located within the depending annular flange 3. The flanged casting 8 is provided with wheels or rollers 8 bearing against the inner surface of the depending annular flange 3. By this construction the rotary frame 4 is adapted to turn freely within the upper portion of the tower to enable the wind-wheel to face the wind squarely. The uprights G, which extend above the rectangular cap-piece 2, are secured at their lowerends to the turn-table 7, which is composed of upper and lowercastings,and the lower casting 7 which is provided with an upwardly-projecting annular flange, has a central opening and is provided with projecting lugs '7", located at opposite sides of the casting and arranged in suitable boxes bolted to the cross-bars 10. The upper casting or turn-table proper is circular and is provided at its upper face with projecting perforated ears 7, arranged in pairs and receiving the lower ends of the uprights 6. The upper casting or turn-table is provided with a depending tubular portion 7, extending through the central opening of the lower casting, and the said upper casting is also provided at its periphery with a depending flange fitting over the lower casting and housing the same to protect the bearing from the weather. The turn-table is sup ported by a series of cone-shaped antifrictionrollers 7 mounted on projecting journals of a ring 7 The ring is arranged around the tubular depending portion of the upper casting, and both the antifriction-rollers .and the ring are adapted to move freely, whereby friction is reduced to a minimum.

The horizontal wind-wheel shaft is provided with a pair of cranks 14 and 15, arranged diametrically opposite each other and connected by pitmen 16 and 17 with tubular connecting-rods 12 and 13, which are arranged to slide on each other and which pass through the tubular portion of the turn-table. The tubular connecting-rods 12 and 13, which are reversely reciprocated by the horizontal windwheel shaft, are connected at their lower ends with a horizontal shaft by a pair of clutches and sprocket-gearing, whereby a continuous forward rotary motion of the horizontal shaft 20 is effected. The inner tubular connectingrod 13, which passes through the connectingrod 12, is longer than the shorter or outer connecting-rod, and it forms a passage fora wire or other flexible connection for controlling the windmill for throwing the same into and out of the wind to start and stop it.

The upper ends of the connecting-rods l2 and 13 are provided with concentric collars or flanges arranged in pairs, and the annular collars or flanges 21 of the connecting-rod 12 receive between them a swiveled cross-head 23, which is adapted to rotate on the upper end of the tubular connecting-rod 12. The

annular flanges or collars 24 of the connecting-rod 13 receive an upper swiveled cross head 25, which is adapted to rotate on the outer tubular connecting-rod 12, and these cross-heads 23 and 25, which are arranged one 1 above the other, are constructed of two sectio'ns, as clearly illustrated in Fig. 6 of the accompanying drawings, and are provided at 1 their outer ends with vertical tubular portions or sleeves 26 and 27, which are arranged on vertical guide-rods 28 of the rotary frame. The vertical guide-rods 28, which are located. at points approximately midway between the f uprights 6, are located near the periphery of 3 the casting 8, which is in the form of a ring, and they are secured at their upper ends to the said casting 8 and are fastened at their lower ends {to the turn-table 7.

prevent any binding or twisting of the pitmen on the cranks of the wind-wheel shaft or onwrist-pins, which connect the lower ends of the pitmen to the cross-heads.

and 13. Each of the said cross-heads is provided with an integral pivot or pin for 0011- necting it to a pitman or other part. The dis- 5 ends to a central cross-bar and having their upper ends attached to the lower casting of the turn-table. The lower casting of the turntable preferably has holes drilled into it for the purpose of receiving the upper end of the lower guide-rod 34. The sleeves of the lower cross-heads reciprocate vertically on the lower guide-rod 34, which prevents any twisting of the connections between the connecting-rods and the clutches hereinafter described.

These rods j 28, which are parallel, guide the swiveled cross-heads in their vertical reciprocation and j The lower i ends of the tubular connecting-rods 12 and 13 are provided with cross-heads 31 and 32, comi posed of two sections, which are rigidly clamped to the lower ends of the said rods 12 The horizontal shaft 20, which is located at the bottom of the tower in order to be within easy reach, has keyed to it a pair of frictionwheels 41 and 42 of a pair of clutches which connect a pair of sprocket-wheels 43 and 44 with the shaft 20. These sprocket-wheels 43 and 44 mesh with a pair of sprocket-chains 45 and 46. One end of the sprocket-chain 45 is connected by a rod 47 with the lower cross-head of the inner tubular connectingrod 13, and the other sprocket-chain 46 is similarly connected by a rod 48 with the lower cross-head of the shorter or outer tubular connecting-rod 12. These rods or connections 47 and 48, which may be flexible, if desired, are located at opposite sides of the central cross-bar 33, upon which the lower vertical guide-rods 34 are mounted. The other ends of the chains are connected bya rope, chain, or cable 49 or other flexible connection which passes around a pulley 50, mounted on a horizontal bar 50. When the connecting-rods are reciprocated, the chains are moved in opposite directions, and they actuate the sprocket-wheels, which are loosely arranged on the horizontal shaft 20. Each frictionwheel is provided with a flange, and each of the sprocket-wheels is provided with a springactuated dog 51, arranged to engage the flange of the friction-wheel when the sprocket-wheel rot-ates forwardly and adapted to release the friction-wheel automatically when the sprocket-wheel is reversely rotated.- As the chains are reversely operated the sprocketwheels which mesh with them will be reversely rotated, and the one rotating in a for ward direction will through the clutch actuate the horizontal shaft 20, and as soon as the direction of the rotation of such sprocketwheel is changed the horizontal shaft will be actuated by the other sprocket-wheel, so that a continuous forward rotation is imparted to the horizontal shaft, which carries a balancewheel 35. Motion may be communicated from the horizontal shaft to the machinery or device to be operated by any suitable means, or the horizontal shaft may be geared to a counter-shaft, so that the latter will be driven at a higher rate of speed, and the balancewheel may then be applied to the countershaft. The clutches are operated to actuate the horizontal shaft 20 when the chains are drawn upward by the tubular connectingrods; but instead of employing sprocketgearing for actuating the clutches the latter may be connected with smooth wheels, and a belt or other flexible connection may have one or more turns on the said wheels to insure the necessary frictional engagement and may be arranged to operate similar to the chains. A continuous flexible cable may be substituted for the chains and for the flexible connection 49, which passes around the guidepulley 50, and instead of employing cranks for the wind-wheel shaft eccentrics may be provided.

It will be seen that the construction is simesopee 'ple and comparatively inexpensive, that it is adapted to communicate a continuous rotary motion from the horizontal wind-wheel shaft to the lower horizontal shaft 20, that the guides support the upper and lower crossheads, and that the upper swiveled crossheads are adapted to rotate freely on the reciprocating connecting-rods, which are held against rotation to avoid twisting or straining the upper pitman or the lower connecting devices.

What I claim is- 1. In a device of the class described, the combination of atower,a rotary frame mounted in the tower at the upper portion thereof, a horizontal wind-wheel shaft journaled in suitable bearings of the rotary frame at the top thereof, the vertica'lly-reciprocating connecting-rods located beneath the wind-wheel shaft, guides mounted on the rotary frame, swiveled cross-heads secured to the connecting-rods and connected with the guides, and the pitmen pivoted at theirlower ends to the cross-heads and extending upward therefrom to the wind-wheel shaft, and connected therewith, substantially as described.

2. In a device of the class described, the combination of a tower, a rotary frame mounted on the tower, a wind-wheel shaft, the upper and lower guides mounted respectively on the rotary frame and the tower, the vertically-reciprocating connecting-rods provided at their lower ends with rigid cross-heads arranged on the lower guides, the swiveled cross-heads connected with the upper ends of the rods and arranged on the upper guides, and pitmen for connecting the upper crossheads with the windwheel shaft, substantially as described.

3. In a device of the class described, the combination of a tower, a rotary frame, a wind-wheel shaft, upper and lowerguide-rods mounted respectively on the rotary frame and on the tower, reciprocating connecting-rods, the upper and lower cross-heads provided at their ends with sleeves receiving the guiderods, the lower cross-heads being fixed to the connecting-rods and the upper cross-heads being swiveled to the same, and pitmen for connecting the upper cross-heads with the wind-wheel shaft, substantially as described.

l. In a device of the class described, the combination of a tower, a rotary frame, a Wind-Wheel shaft, upperand lowerguides, the tubular concentric connecting-rods,the lower cross-heads fixed to the lower portions of the connecting-rods and arranged on the lower guides, the swiveled cross-heads secured to upper portions of the connecting-rods and arranged on the upper guides, and pitmen for connecting the upper cross-heads with the wind-wheel shaft, substantially as described.

5. In a device of the class described, the combination of a tower, a rotary frame mounted thereon, a horizontal wind-wheel shaft, the upper and lower guides mounted re spectively on the rotary frame and the tower, the vertically-reciprocating connecting-rods provided at their lower ends with rigid crossheads arranged on the lower guides, the swiv-' eled cross-heads connected with the upper ends of the rods and with the upper guides, pitmen connecting the upper cross-heads with the wind-wheel shaft, a lower horizontal shaft, a pair of clutches mounted on the lower horizontal shaft and provided with wheels and adapted to alternately engage and rotate the said lower horizontal shaft, a guide, and a flexible connection arranged on the guide and engaging the wheels and connected with the lower cross-heads, substantially as described.

6. In a device of the class described, the combination of a tower, a rotary frame, a windwheel shaft journaled on the rotary frame, a lower horizontal shaft journaled on the tower, vertically-reciprocating connecting-rods, swiveled cross-heads connected with the upper ends of the rods and guided on the rotary frame, lower cross-heads fixed to the lower portions of the rods, and guided on the tower, pitmen connecting the upper crossheads with the wind-wheel shaft, and means for connecting the lower cross-heads with the horizontal shaft for rotating the latter, sub stantially as described.

7. In a device of the class described, the combination of a tower, a rotary frame, a wind wheel shaft journaled on the rotary frame, a lower shaft supported by the tower, vertically -reciprocating rods, upper crossheads swiveled to the rods, pitmen connecting the upper cross heads with the windwheel shaft, clutches mounted on the lower shaft and provided with wheels and adapted to alternately engage the said lower shaft, to impart a continuous forward rotation to the same, lower cross-heads fixed to the said rods, and flexible devices connected with the crossheads and engaging the wheels of the clutches, substantially as described.

In testimony that I claim the foregoing as my own I have hereto affixed my signature in the presence of two witnesses.

ANCIL l3. MORSE.

WVitnesses:

JAMES L. BoNnAM, R. E. Novas.

TIC) 

